Honey, Honey by Rebel Carter

Chapter Two

HONEY

“Hey, when the fuck did you get engaged?”

I blinked and looked up from the cappuccino foam I was making. “What?” I asked, shutting the milk wand off and turning to look at Tiffany, who was glaring at me with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Don’t you ‘what’ me,” she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the door. “Where’s the rock that big man gave you?”

“What rock?” I looked over her shoulder where she was still jerking her thumb and had to swallow down the disappointment I felt when I didn’t see the man she was talking about.

My fiancé.

We’d locked eyes after he’d stepped out of the coffee shop. After he’d saved my ass from whatever today’s Karen was ready to unleash on me. I knew he’d seen me watching him, and that he had looked right back at me before he’d stormed off. When he’d paid for his coffee and taken it from Tiffany I hadn’t so much as seen him slow in his steps on the way out the door. But that look on the sidewalk? I knew I had seen it, and that it had as much interest in it as mine had, even if he didn’t much seem like he wanted to be in the shop.

He had looked tired. Haggard even. Like he hadn’t had a good night sleep in a week or more. His clothes were impeccable, even if I could see the fatigue on him. None of that really took away from how handsome he was. He was a big man, dark hair peppered with silver that was thick and lush but cropped close. The silver that threaded through his hair might have made some men reach for a box of hair dye, but on him? No. On him it worked, on him it looked well earned, hinting at the life experience he possessed. That dark and silver paired perfectly with his eyes, eyes the color of blue that looked like the expensive bottled water sold in all the shops I worked in, the kind that I couldn’t afford so I drank tap. And fuck, his cheekbones and jawline? The man was all sharp angles and chiseled bone structure, even if his nose was slightly crooked, the look of a body part that had been broken once or twice. I could see tattoos on his hands, thick inky lines that covered the backs of his hands and disappeared beneath the sleeve of his expensive coat. There were the telltale lines poking up and over the crisp collar of his dress shirt which told me he was probably covered in tattoos.

A man like that might scare some. His bulk, height and demeanor pushing them away, but me? I found him beautiful. I’d give my right eye to see the art on his chest. It had to be gorgeous. Just like him.

My chest tightened and I swallowed hard knowing I was blushing just thinking about the man’s bare chest. Remembering how his cerulean eyes had dropped to mine when I had...well, I don’t really know what the hell I had been doing when I greeted him. I didn’t flirt at work. Not ever. It wasn’t smart to shit where you ate–even if where I ate changed daily. I didn’t like taking chances like that but the second I had laid eyes on him I knew he was different.

This man woke something up in me. Something I kept a very tight hold on in normal circumstances but that had come tumbling right out of me the damn second our eyes met. I’d wanted him to come close and grab me. His hands firm and warm on my body, to drag me close and shove me over the counter before he slipped his hand down the front of my jeans, strong fingers sliding down to cup my pussy. My nipples ached thinking about the day dream that had suddenly forced itself back in my brain.

All of that had led to me greeting him with a little more enthusiasm than I normally did. I might have pushed my tits up too. I frowned. That damn blonde had gotten in the way because she’d seen the same thing I had in him. She’d seen it and didn’t like that he’d noticed me, so she’d done her best to get in the way.

I got it.

I mean it sucked, because it was real shitty how she did it. But I understood what happened when a man like that was suddenly in front of you. You’d do crazy things for a man like that. So the blonde has shown her hand. Too bad for her it’d been the wrong play, but even still–I understood her motivation to act.

There was a certain elegance to a man that looked like he could take you apart and have you begging for him to keep going with each and every piece that you lost to him. He’d scoop up the broken parts of you that had fallen to the floor and take them with him, filling his pockets with you on his way out and leaving you alone and wanting more.

The fucked up thing was he probably didn’t even notice the effect he had on women. A man like that was in his own world.

But even still….

If this were a romance book he would come back and smile at me. He’d had a terrific smile. One that warmed his whole face up and made him look years younger. He would stroll up to the counter while I tried to pretend I hadn’t been staring after him and he'd slip his number, printed on fancy card stock and he would ask me to dinner. All of this would make our meet cute. A story we would laugh over at dinner, regrettable but ultimately so perfect because it had brought us together. He'd kiss me goodnight after a lovely evening and we would date. Everyone that saw us would just know we belonged together. An unlikely pair that just fit.

But because this wasn’t a romance book he didn’t come back. Shit like that didn’t happen to women like me. This was real life.

The sidewalk was empty save for a nanny and toddler scurrying past holding hands, their heads bowed and collars upturned from the morning chill. I sighed, turning back to the cappuccino foam in front of me and hoped that Tiffany wouldn’t see my face.

“Uh, don’t “what rock me”, you little secret keeper. I’m talking about the rock you’re not wearing on your hand. Letting all of us know you’re gonna marry that hunk-o-burning love.” She jerked a finger towards my hand as I poured foam into a cup and only when I had placed it on the counter and called out, “Dry cappuccino for Aaron!” Did she snatch my left hand and give it a shake.

“Where is the rock?!”

“You keep saying that, but I honestly don’t—“

She shook my hand at my face. “He said you were his fiancée. Don’t play with me. He told all of us you were his fiancée,” she said, gesturing out towards the cafe that was full of customers looking our way curiously, if discreetly. “I bet they tell page six about this.”

“About what?” I squeaked, and pulled my hand back with a jerk.

“That the owner of Law Acquisitions is a friend of the working class,” Tiffany said gleefully. “And that he’s in love with you.”

“No, Tiff—“ I shook my head, ready to set her straight on the kindness he had done me when she continued on.

“Lawson Sokolov, is like one of the city’s most eligible bachelors and they are going to lose their shit when they find out he’s off the market. It’s going to be awesome.” The way she said awesome made my stomach drop while simultaneously fluttering with excitement. I shook my head. No, I could not like awesome, not when it came to Lawson Sokolov’s fictional dating status.

“He’s what?” I asked, pushing away the dread and excitement that was brewing in my stomach.

She raised an eyebrow at me. “How do you not know that?”

I bit my lip and glanced towards the front of the shop. The big windows were bright and glittering with sunshine, making Lawson’s earlier entry into my world seem like it had happened in another universe, not that morning.

“Don’t know what?” I hedged, and Tiff scoffed.

“Don’t play coy, you little minx.”

I would have given anything to have met him before today. Anything for the words that I didn’t know that man to be a lie. Lawson Sokolov was a stranger to me. I should have told her she knew more about him than I did, that until this morning I had never laid eyes on him or heard the man’s name but for some reason the words wouldn’t come. Instead I kept hearing him say “my fiancé. My girl,” and even if it was fake it felt too good, felt perfect, to be his. Even if it was all a lie.

I’d been raised to lie with a smile on my lips, bending the truth to fit whatever fucked up reality my mother spun around us. But this wasn’t like that. This was warm and it was Lawson. The way people had looked at me in the shop when he’d claimed me had changed. Even the screaming Karen had been knocked on her ass thinking I was his.

Being Lawson’s girl would be far better than anything I’d known. Even if he’d hightailed it out of the shop without so much as a pause in his step. He’d looked back.

Being Lawson’s was worth a lie.

So I didn’t tell her the truth.

I aimed a smile in Tiffany’s direction and shrugged. “He doesn’t talk about that with me,” I demurred.

Tiffany blew out a sigh and bumped my shoulder with hers. “It makes sense that you’re in and out of shops so much with the app if you’re with a man like that.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, wiping down the counter in front of me and surveying my work station. Everything was orderly and neat, just the way I liked it.

“I didn’t get it really, but now I do. Keeps you free for a man like that.”

I paused and glanced at Tiffany, she was looking out the windows in the direction Lawson had gone earlier, no doubt thinking of the man just the same as I had been.

“Free...yeah, that’s it,” I finally said, clearing my throat and forcing the smile on my face to stay in place.

“Super smart of you. If the paps had found out where you worked, it would be a circus. If you keep moving around then they’ll never catch on to it.”

I nodded. “Exactly. Makes things simpler that way.” I put away the towel in my hand and straightened, glancing at the clock at the far end of the shop. My shift was over in a few minutes which would be the perfect excuse not to talk about the colossal lie I had just told my very brand new friend.

“Just got a few minutes left on the clock. I’m going to do a quick restock, okay?” I said, jerking a thumb over my shoulder towards the small back room where we kept the dry goods.

Tiffany’s eyes went to the clock and she blinked in surprise. “Holy shit, you’re done in ten. How did that happen?”

“Time flies when you’re having fun.”

“Definitely,” she agreed and beamed at me. “A shift with you is more fun than I deserve at work.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Tiff,” I laughed, but I flushed at her praise. It was nice to hear that you were wanted. Even if Tiffany’s words were casual, they were needed and warming all the same. It was another reminder why I liked being around the other woman.

“Awesome, then do you want to get dinner later this week?” she asked, and I stopped my search for the clipboard with the inventory supply list.

“That sounds great. I’m in,” I told her. I could use a little more of Tiffany’s warm demeanor in my day-to-day.

“I know a great little Korean barbeque spot in Queens. We can check it out and stuff ourselves on the all you can eat meat dinner special.” Tiffany bounced on her toes, practically radiating energy and excitement. She looked so happy and eager at that moment and I knew dinner would be a fun night.

“You had me at all you can eat dinner special. I’m free any night since,” I gestured around the coffee shop with a circle of my finger, “coffee is an early bird game.”

“Perfect! Are you free Thursday night?” she asked.

“I am.”

Tiffany pumped her fist in the air with a grin. “It’s a date! I’m so excited. We are going to have so much fun.”

“What’s going on over here?” Gus asked, leaning against the counter to watch while Tiffany broke out into a mini dance.

“Honey and I are going out on a date. It’s going to be awesome.”

Gus nodded his head and smiled, watching Tiffany hop around. “I’m glad you two are getting along. Friends are important,” he said and then he looked my way, “which brings me to this morning. Can we talk a minute, Honey?”

I bit my lip and gave him a quick nod. A wave of uneasiness swept through me but after a reassuring smile from Gus, I forced my shoulders down and took a step towards him. “Sure thing, Gus.”

“I just wanted to say how sorry I am about this morning.”

The breath I hadn’t been aware I was holding left my lungs with a little whoosh and I came forward until I was at the counter. I set the clipboard on the shiny quartz and shook my head. “It was a lot, please don’t worry about it.”

He held up a hand and shook his head sadly. “I do worry, and it wasn’t okay, not at all. That woman was out of line, Honey. I’m so sorry you had to put up with that and in front of your fiancé of all people.”

The little tightening in my stomach that accompanied a lie came to life but I batted it to the side and gave Gus a practiced rueful smile. I’d perfected this one the summer I had turned eleven and my mama had refused to pay ‘one more dollar for useless activities’ when I’d been set on playing softball in the summer city league. All of her cash was to be spent on getting herself ready for a tour she was certain would be her big break. My slightly embarrassed, definitely sympathy-inducing smile had worked to stave off my coach’s inquiries over league fees for the entire summer. I’d proven to be a pinch hitter that couldn’t be beat, which had been the perfect motivation my coach had needed to ignore my ever increasing balance of dues owed.

I turned that look on Gus now and watched as he softened. “It isn’t your fault. It’s just one of those things,” I told him.

“It is, but even still. That woman should not have been comfortable coming in here and acting that way. She’s banned. I just wanted you to know that.”

“Banned?” I asked, eyes wide in surprise. I hadn’t expected that.

“Yes, banned. I want you to feel happy and safe coming in to work here when you can. You’re Tiffany’s favorite and you’re amazing with the customers. I love having you in the shop.”

“Thank you, Gus. That means a lot.”

“Anytime,” he said, giving the counter a tap. “You are always welcome here. I want you to know that.”

I made a mental note to scoop up any shifts at A Different Brew, each and every one that I could get my hands on. “I do, thank you, Gus. I like working here.”

“Maybe one day I can convince you to take on a permanent spot.”

Unease settled in my chest at his words. I knew he meant them, but settling down wasn’t something I knew how to do. I’d never learned. I held up a hand and waved him off. “Oh, I don’t know, Gus. I like my freedom.”

“My offer stands if you ever get tired of all that freedom.”

“She can’t take on a spot here,” Tiffany butted in. “She’s gotta keep the paps on their toes, Gus. If she locks in here she’s going to blow her cover.”

Gus blinked. “Her what?”

“Her cover, duh,” Tiffany said, waving a hand at him and then pointing out towards the street. “She’s Lawson Sokolov's fiancée, remember? Can you imagine what Page Six will look like if they know where she works?”

I rolled my eyes at her. “I don’t know about that, Tiff.”

“It’s true and you know it. And you’re going to tell me all about it, over all you can eat meat.”

Gus nodded at her, even though I could tell he had zero idea what she was talking about. “I’ll take over that, Honey. You’re out of here now, go enjoy the day and all that sunshine.”

“Sure thing.” I handed the clipboard over to him and made for my purse and hoodie. As much as I liked A Different Brew, I was eager to start my ‘day off’. He was right, it was a beautiful day outside, one that would be perfect for a stroll and window shopping. I might even treat myself to something and splurge in one of the little shops I loved so much. Things were tight with my budget but not that tight, not anymore. I could treat myself. I shouldered on my bag and turned, waving goodbye to Gus and Tiffany who returned it with goodbyes and waves of their own, while Tiffany shouted out about how we were going to eat our weight in Korean barbeque. I paused in the doorway and looked over my shoulder at the pair. Tiffany was chatting while Gus restocked.

He obviously had no clue what she was going on about. Still. But that didn’t stop them. This was a daily occurrence, maybe hourly even from what I had seen while on shift, and I smiled at the familiar little dance the two of them did together.

It was a sweet picture. One that I was glad to recognize as familiar, one that I was a part of if only occasionally. And it was with a smile that I set off to enjoy the day’s sunshine.